Season 3 Blog 23 Romans 5:10-11 NLT “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” Happy New Year! Have you started practicing writing or typing ‘2024’ yet? There’s something about opening a new calendar or turning the page in our daytimer to January that signifies a fresh start. We’ve just come through the busyness of Christmas celebrations and the holidays a ..read more

Season 3 Blog 22 Isaiah 9:6 NLT “For a child is born to us,     a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders.     And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” goes the song. Depending on your family traditions you may be decorating and preparing earlier or later in the season. There are lists of gifts to buy, baking to make (if you have time!), cards to write, parties with staff, school, daycares, friends, and family ..read more

Season 3 – Blog 21 Matthew 11:28-30 NLT Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” I almost didn’t write a blog post for this month. I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the other responsibilities and urgent needs in the past few weeks. I didn’t know if I would be able to have the time to write anything and if I did, would it be worth reading? Well ..read more

Season 3 | Blog 20 As parents I think we can fluctuate between doing the things our parents did when we were children and going in the opposite direction. I think of the mentality when I was a child that you had to eat everything on your plate before you left the table. I have memories of sitting at the table with liver on my plate not knowing how I would be able to eat it. There was no dog I could slip it to. It became a waiting game. I tried to be a bit more empathetic and expedite meals for my children, saying that they didn’t have to eat everything on their plate but if they left most of t ..read more

Season 3 | Blog 19 I’ve always loved the beginning of September. The evenings are getting cooler and a few leaves are starting to turn colour. There’s the sounds of students heading to school in the mornings and a general air of excitement as everyone starts a new year. It can be a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as our children wonder who their teacher will be and whether their friends will be in the same class. New school supplies and backpacks are all ready to go. The way they dress and pack for school likely looks different this first week than it will a few weeks from now when they ge ..read more

Blog #18 Words From A Shepherd’s Heart “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” Romans 12:4-5 (NLT): As I reflect on some things from my own years of parenting I realize more and more the importance of staying connected with my community of faith – not only for my family but for myself as well. As we all head into the summer months here are some thoughts on what it means to be parents who practice faith at home all year long. I’ve shared this story before but it s ..read more

Blog 15 Words From A Shepherd’s Heart Times have changed since I was a child. I remember when Canada was referred to as a Christian nation and most people had some connection to a local church. DVBS was a neighborhood event and we even prayed the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of every school day, in public school. Many people had at least some idea of who Jesus is and the basics of what sin means and that Jesus’ death and resurrection save us. That was a long time ago…another century in history!  In the 21st century, things have changed but I think it can take a while for us to realize w ..read more

Blog 14 Words From A Shepherd’s Heart We’ve come through the “happiest time of the year” but it may not seem so happy right now. The busyness of the holidays can often just delay grief and sorrow but can’t put it off forever. You or your family may have family members or friends who have died or you may be going through another kind of grief like a move, changing jobs or schools, or a loved pet who has died. January 1st, 29 years ago, my sister died suddenly from an aneurysm. She was 16 years old and I was 19. I remember having moments of tears and laughter as family came to stay with us and ..read more

Blog 13 – A Season To Get Ready “She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’) – Isaiah 7:14b It’s that wonderful time of year when we get to celebrate…Advent! What is Advent? Some of you may be thinking of the calendars with chocolate or other treats children get to count down the days until Christmas. I have even seen Lego ones and ones for pets! In the church community, Advent refers to the four weeks leading up to Christmas and a time when we reflect on what it means that Jesus was born; that God became human. There are many ways to make it fun an ..read more

Blog 12 Words From A Shepherd’s Heart With special guest, Kerri Gaskin-Fowler, MA (C.Psych), LCT, CCC Parenting is challenging. It can be even more challenging when our children have characteristics that we don’t understand know how to parent well. I interviewed licensed counselling therapist Kerri Gaskin-Fowler to learn more about parenting children with ADHD. Kerri works with children, youth, and adults and works a lot with ADHD and executive functioning (want to know what that means? Read on!). It was an interesting and insightful conversation. Sarah: What do we need to understand in t ..read more